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Diane Martin, Ph.D.
Diane completed her Ph.D. in the UBC Michael Smith Laboratories and started in June 2004 as part of my lab’s collaboration with Dr. Joerg Bohlmann. Diane brings extensive expertise in plant biochemistry and molecular biology to the lab. She is studying terpenoid biosynthesis and volatile compound composition, which are important for flowering and berry flavour in grapevine. Diane is a 2006 recipient of an NSERC Post-doctoral Fellowship.
Selected publications:
Martin D, J Bohlmann. 2004. Identification of Vitis vinifera (-)-alpha-terpineol synthase by in silico screening of full-length cDNA ESTs and functional characterization of recombinant terpene synthase. Phytochem 65(9):1223-1229
Byun McKay AS, WL Hunter, KA Godard, SX Wang, DM Martin, JB Bohlmann, AL Plant. 2003. Insect attack and wounding induce traumatic resin duct development and gene expression of (-)-pinene synthase in Sitka spruce. Plant Physiol 133:368-378
Martin D, J Gershenzon, J Bohlmann. 2003. Induction of volatile terpene biosynthesis and diurnal emission by methyl jasmonate in foliage of Norway spruce (Picea abies). Plant Physiol 132(3):1586-1599
Dudareva N, D Martin, CM Kish, N Kolosova, N Gorenstein, J Fäldt, B Miller, J Bohlmann. 2003. (E)-beta-ocimene and myrcene synthase genes of floral scent biosynthesis in snapdragon: Function and expression of three terpene synthase genes of a new terpene synthase subfamily. Plant Cell 15(5):1227-41
Fäldt J, D Martin, B Miller, S Rawat, J Bohlmann. 2003. Traumatic resin defense in Norway spruce (Picea abies): Methyl jasmonate-induced terpene synthase gene expression, and cDNA cloning and functional characterization of (+)-3-carene synthase. Plant Mol Biol 51:119-133
Martin D, D Tholl, J Gershenzon, J Bohlmann. 2002. Methyl jasmonate induces traumatic resin ducts, terpenoid resin biosynthesis, and terpenoid accumulation in developing xylem of Norway spruce stems. Plant Physiol 129:1003-1018
Invited Talks:
Martin, M, M Eltom, J Schlosser, K Reid, S Lund, P Bowen, and J Bohlmann. Metabolomic and functional genomic analyses of mechanisms underlying flavour and/or aroma in Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet Sauvignon flowers and berries. Annual Meeting of the American Society of Plant Biologists, July 2005, Seattle, WA, USA
Martin D, J Lücker, ST Lund, J Bohlmann. Vitis vinifera terpenoid synthase genes and wine grape metabolite profiling. Joint Meeting of the International Society of Chemical Ecology & Phytochemical Society of North America, July 2004, Ottawa, Ontario
Lixin Liu, M.S.
Lixin joined us in March 2007 and brings expertise in molecular biology and plant tissue culture and transformation. He completed his M.S. in Agronomy at the University of Illinois in 1999 and worked for the seed industry in the U.S. for six years on gene discovery, gene cloning, vector construction, and biochemistry. Lixin is studying an aspect of malic acid metabolism in grape berries, an important quality component affecting juice pH. He is also responsible for grapevine cell culture systems, vector design and cloning, and Agrobacterium-based transformation systems for grapevine calli and somatic embryogenic cultures.
Graduate Students
Chelsea Szu Tu, B.Sc.
Chelsea is a BC native who received her B.Sc. in the UBC Biology program in April 2007 and joined us in September 2007. She is working towards her M.Sc. degree in the Genetics Graduate program on an NSERC Discovery project. Chelsea is studying the basic for a lack of dihydromyricetin flavonoids in Rubus species (raspberry, blackberry) and is focusing on flavonoid-3’5’-hydroxylase, a key enzyme in the flavonoid metabolic pathway.
Carlo Vargas, M.S.
Joining us in January 2008 from Mexico, Carlo received his M.Sc. in Marine Biotechnology in 2004 at el Centro de Investigacion Científica y Educacion Superior de Ensenada, Mexico. Afterwards, he worked on developing diagnostic methods using real time-PCR in the pharmaceutical industry and, later, as the director of the Biotech Council of his native Baja California state. He is now working towards his Ph.D. in the Land and Food Systems Plant Science program. Carlo is studying gene and protein markers for drought stress in grapevine and will be working on developing a prototype antibody-based tool for monitoring drought stress in the vineyard as well as conducting investigations into the genomics of drought resistance in grapevine.
Selected presentations:
Vargas C. Development of a DNA vaccine against toxin Cn2 of the Mexican scorpion Centruroides noxius “Hoffmann”. DNA Vaccines 2002, The Gene Vaccine Conference, October 2002, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK (poster presentation)
Undergraduate Researchers
Tanya Pirogovskaia
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